Antonio's Tagaytay

Rating:
Antonio's lives up to the hype of being THE fine dining destination of tagaytay.
***
At first I was complaining to Agent A about the long drive to Tagaytay, the snaking, narrow side-road that's barely wide enough to fit one car and finally the tight carpark which requires better-than-average parking skills.

It was grumpy, grumpy me until finally the double doors were opened to reveal a lush oasis with dining tables and chairs cleverly tucked amidst the greenery.

Despite my grumpiness and perception that this would be another expensive, overrated lunch-- I was impressed. Let's see if this first impression would last the whole meal.

I've reviewed a lot of restaurants but Antonio's is the one that gets my award for best use of music. The ambient/chillout sounds were very well chosen and serve to highlight the difference between the noise, dirt and hassle of Tagaytay versus the indoor calm. The music was the first thing that struck me but as my meal progressed, it blended unobtrusively into the background. Very nice. Very subtle.

The service is excellent. Waiters who pay attention and know what food is being served, a roving maitre'd who actually cares about what we thought of the food and even engaged us in some light banter. Easily this is one of the more well trained staff I've encountered in the Philippines.

And the food? The set meals cost between Php1200 to Php1800, (about SGD$40 or USD$25) it's pretty expensive for Philippine standards but hey it's white-tablecloth fine dining!

I had the Mojito encrusted lamb which was very good but the meat wasn't as tender as I wanted it to be. The refillable house dalandan juice was too sweet. They should've served it without sugar and let us sweeten it to taste.

Best part is the dessert-- don't leave without trying their special chocolate cake which has the consistency of thick fudge. Sinful but verrry yummy.

For those of us with exhibitionist tendencies, you'll definitely enjoy their restrooms with the wide-open panoramic windows. Enjoy the view while you pee and just hope that nobody's on the other end with binoculars and a camera to catch you with your pants down.

Four and a half points. Unless you're really rich, it's too expensive for a casual meal with friends so best to go only on special occasions. Don't forget to call ahead because reservations are a must.

***
If you're coming from the Tagaytay rotunda, make a right at a small side road half a kilometer after the city proper. This road is marked by a sign pointing to Antonio's. Just follow this road for about 2km and you'll see the resto with the security guard and a gate with the road sloping downward on the left.

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